Firenze Marathon
50 - 100 €
Pros
- The location
- Nice scenografic route
- Beautiful picture service
- Value for money
Cons
- Not easy to reach
- Crowded, book in advance
- Only marathon distance
| Edition: | 39th (2023) |
| World Athletics Label Road Race: | No |
| Expected participants: | 8000 |
| Distances: | 42K |
| Type of race: | Flat, city run |
| Time limit: | 6h |
My 2022 of running ends with Firenze Marathon, and no event could close better this season! The beauty of Florence (Firenze, in Italian) is known worldwide. The city where Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Raffaello, Leonardo, to name only few geniuses, operated and left masterpieces to be there for our contemplation.
Not by coincidence, the motto of the race is “we run in art“, and the race delivers perfectly on this statement. Let’s look into the race more in detail.
The booking process
The website is very easy to navigate. I would like to mention that italian rules for enrolling to these events are a bit complicate and stricter than most of organizations abroad.
I will not go into details, but to enroll to the competitive race you need a medical certificate and to belong to a certified athletic team. There is a shortcut, if you come from abroad, you can participate “non competiting” , signing off a self-certification of good health. This detail is not trivial. If you sign on for the non competitive, you will not be in the “competitive” list, which mean you cannot win a category prize (if you are fast enough) and most importantly – but please check this info with the organization – I assume you cannot claim that time for a qualifying status.
The race pack will include the T-shirt and some other amenities – not options to select or deselect anything. The price is raising with time, pay attention to the dates of the change.
The organization
The expo is in the area of the Artemio Franchi Stadium, in the immediate vicinity of the railway station Campo di Marte.
If you plan to stay in the city center, close to the start and finish point (which I recommend), you can get there by public transport. There are several connections available, although I experiences some delays on Saturday, probably connected with the fact the city center is already partly closed.
The expo was very well organised (limited queuing to get to the pick up) and the amount of stands, and the quality, was very high. Once you pick your race pack, a labirynth will lead you through many stands, some of them with good deals. Difficult to leave the Expo without some addituonal purchases!
On race day, everything worked very well. Limited queuing to the toilets, and to the cloakroom service, located at piazza Santa Maria Novella in spaces divided in different groups, corresponding to start numbers. Easy also the access to the starting lines (corrals organized per colors, based on the expected finish time you submit at the subscription).
Runners list at the Expo
The course
The course in 2022 starts and finishes at Piazza Duomo, the heart of the city.
You will meet other landmarks of this beautiful city, like the large Parco delle Cascine, a green park just outside, in the first third of the race. You will run on the famous Ponte Vecchio just before half race. Shortly after, Santa Croce church. The course reaches the stadium around the 30-32 km (20 mile).
Finally, the race will bring you back to the city center, with the last 3-4K very dynamic, in the heart of the city, surrounded by cheering locals and curious turists. The course is mostly flat and fast, so it is a good opportunity for a personal best. The final part in the city with sharp bends could slow you down.
Runners on Ponte Vecchio
Personal impressions
Conclusions
A beautiful race in a stunning city. If you want to run in art, I definitely recommend to run the Firenze Marathon! And you can also find here my tips on things to do in Florence once you are there! 😉
Did you like this review of Firenze Marathon? Please contact me for any question or if you find info to be rectified!
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